Month: January 2008

Hello everyone, it’s Danielle with Quoddy Link Marine. I just want to report that there is another North Atlantic right whale entangled. Right whale #3333, last reported gear-free in the Bay of Fundy on August 6, 2007 was sighted by the New England Aquarium aerial survey team on January 29th, 2008 10 miles off the coast of Florida. The five-year old male looks to be in good condition, free swimming and diving well. Below are some photos taken today.

I have also included the diagram (done by Scott Landry) of the entanglement.

The whale was lost by the aerial survey team but if any news comes up I will keep you posted.

Hello There, it’s Danielle with Quoddy Link Marine. I just wanted to update everyone on our Bay of Fundy Whales. I’m sure most of you heard about the humpback whale that was entangled and rescued off the coast of Grand Manan before Christmas. Below is a report from Deb Gleason, the Emergency Relief Responder from the IFAW Canada office from December 23rd, 2007;

“It has been a very exciting couple of days for IFAW’s Campobello Whale RescueTeam (CWRT) operating in the Bay of Fundy.

On Tuesday I had a call from Mackie Greene, the CWRT team leader to let me know that an entangled humpback whale had been reported by a conscientious fisherman south of Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy.

The whale was anchored by the neck with ropes, lobster traps and anchors and although he was able to breath he could not move much.

Unfortunately, the sea was far too rough to attempt an immediate rescue and Mackie had to wait for the morning when they were expecting a brief period of calmer winds.None of us got too much sleep thinking about the whale stuck in the stormy ocean unable to move and fighting for every breath.

Today at lunchtime I spoke to an exhausted Mackie Greene who had stepped back on shore, returning from the water south of Grand Manan.

It took over an hour to reach the 40 foot Humpback whale named “Pez” (this has since found to be an incorrect ID, the whale has now been named Campobello). When they found him they realized it would be a very difficult rescue as the whale had about 75 lobster traps and the connecting ropes and anchors wrapped tightly around him, anchoring him to the bottom of the ocean.

Mackie knew that if they did not rescue the whale today he would most certainly die.

The whale’s left flipper had 5 or 6 wraps of rope around it and they started there. Once they freed the flipper they went to work on cutting the ropes that somehow managed to braid together forming a tight noose around the whale’s neck. The whale had been at this location for 3-4 days and had been battling for his life through heavy storms while caught in this heavy gear causing severe bruising and cuts over most of his body.

Mackie said it took about an hour to complete the rescue. He has been rescuing entangled whales in the Bay of Fundy for many years and has seen some pretty horrible entanglements but this was by far the worst he’d seen.

It took over 30 rope cuts to free Pez and Mackie broke 3 knives and lost several poles in the process. Mackie said they did not quit until every last piece of rope andequipment was off the whale including a six foot piece of rope coming from hismouth.

Mackie said that as he watched the whale swim away he felt he would make a full recovery. Pez the humpback whale will have a happy holiday this year thanks to the efforts of Mackie and the team. I am just so proud that IFAW is able to support the work of these brave men as they risk their own lives to save these magnificent whales.”

This whale was not previously sighted during the 2007 season in the Bay of Fundy by either Quoddy Link Marine or our friends across the Bay. Everyone at Quoddy Link would like to say thank you to our friend Mackie Greene and his Campobello Whale Rescue Team.

There is another whale that is familiar with the Bay of Fundy that is currently still in trouble. Right Whale #2645, an adult female that is currently entangled in Cape Cod Bay. She has a white line hanging from her mouth and extending another 45 feet behind her before disappearing under the water. The last time she was seen gear-free was on September 17th in the Bay of Fundy and she was reported entangled on January 12th, 2008 by the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) Skymaster (aerial surveyor). Below are some photos from the entanglement.

I will keep you posted on any important and interesting whale news concerning the Bay of Fundy. Cheers from our Nations Capital and Love to my New Brunswick family, I miss you all so very much.

Blog Editor Profile – Danielle

I have been working for Quoddy Link Marine since 2002. I graduated from the University of Guelph with an honors BSc. in Marine Biology. I'm in charge of photographing, identifying and recording the whales that we see and sharing that information with Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, MA and the Grand Manan Whale and Seabird Research Station on Grand Manan, NB. It's a privilege to have the opportunity to spend the amount of time I do on the water with the whales, they are absolutely amazing creatures.

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